Murder by Degrees: A Mystery

By Ritu Mukerji

Book Overview

An Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd, Murder by Degrees is a historical mystery set in 19th-century Philadelphia, following a pioneering woman doctor as she investigates the disappearance of a young patient who is presumed dead.

Philadelphia, 1875: It is the start of term at Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lydia Weston, professor and anatomist, is immersed in teaching her students in the lecture hall and hospital. When the body of a patient, Anna Ward, is dredged out of the Schuylkill River, the young chambermaid's death is deemed a suicide. But Lydia is suspicious and she is soon brought into the police investigation.

Aided by a diary filled with cryptic passages of poetry, Lydia discovers more about the young woman she thought she knew. Through her skill at the autopsy table and her clinical acumen, Lydia draws nearer the truth. Soon a terrible secret, long hidden, will be revealed. But Lydia must act quickly, before she becomes the next target of those who wished to silence Anna.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668015064
• ISBN13: 9781668015063
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Secrets, Lies, and Danger

Philadelphia, 1875, and Dr. Lydia Weston, a pioneering doctor of her time, assist police in an investigation after one of her patients is found in the river. At first, it is ruled a suicide, but Dr. Weston is sure more is at play. Secrets, lies, and danger, plus a mix of scientific innovations, social inequality, infidelity, and gender bias is rolled into this beautifully written novel.

A woman doctor, a Detective Inspector and Sargent who doesn’t believe she belongs.

For fans of historical mysteries this is a must read. Set against the backdrop of Philadelphia in 1875, a young woman doctor is about to embark upon a heralding case that will challenge her beliefs and everything she holds dear.